It’s nice to ask yourself these questions before starting to plan your vacation; do I want to relax? Do I want adventure or a learning experience? Do I want to get away from my job? Once you know the answers to these questions, then you are ready to plan your trip.

Vacations are needed for our emotional, physical and mental balance. Vacations give a person a chance to relax, renew his energy, and free him from his daily routine. Vacations could be far away or close to home. Wherever the vacation may be, it does the same thing. It is the satisfaction that is more important than the destination.

Generally, there are some different types of travel according to activities involved. Here are some of them:

1. Responsible Travel. Traveling doesn’t always have to be self-serving. With responsible travel, one could have enjoyment as much as respecting the local environment and the people.
2. Rediscovering nature. Rediscovering travel is all about nature and everything in it. It revitalizes the soul while smelling and feeling nature.
3. Tribal cultures. In today’s world of high technology, it is wise to experience the simpler life of the tribal people who live close to nature in the same way for the past thousands of years.

4. Responsible Diving. Diving not only let travelers appreciate what is down the sea but also making the traveler more aware of the conservation effort.

The country one is planning to travel to also leaves a great mark on the traveler’s diary. Here are some of the most popular destinations today:

1. Thailand. Thailand is also known as Siam. It is an Asian country bounded by Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia. Behind the back draft of Thailand’s jungles of bamboo, rubber trees and vines are the Five-star hotels of modern conveniences. In some parts of the country, elephants are still being use to lift timbers and buffalos are still being use in farming.

2. China. China is now the second largest country and fastest growing economy in the world. Most parts of China are still unexplored by tourist; however, the eastern portion is now popular to western tourist. First class hotels now offer highest class of amenities and dozens are still being built/

3. Italy. Italy is a boot-like shape country bounded by Switzerland, Austria, France, and Slovenia. The main attraction of Italy is St. Peter’s Square where the Pope resides.

4. Caribbean. Caribbean is an archipelago of islands, 2000 square miles across. Most of the islands are plateaus and eruptions of underlying mountain systems. It has nice beaches of crushed coral and white or pink sand and the water at the shore is a deep blue.

The success of any vacation will not depend by how much the traveler spent or its destination. It is how the traveler enjoyed it and how he was able to achieve his primary goal of “getting away from it all.”

Technorati Tags: Destination, Settling, Vacation

Technorati Tags: Festival, Love, Oingming, remembrance, Time

1. eCommerce shopping cart.  Our idea is simple – there is no further need to go into this plug-ins market and create another new B2B or B2C oriented shopping cart.  Please, in eCommerce installation wizard, simply choose your Shopping Cart Platform: Magento, Asp.Net Store Front or Nop Commerce (more options are just around the corner, as we are writing these lines in May of 2010).  And we should give them a good plus for doing wonderful job in Pricing, Tax calculation, Credit Card payment processing – all these routines if they are done in eCommerce Shopping Cart, please take it for granted there and do not move it for processing to Microsoft Dynamics GP.  And plus – enjoy capitalizing on investments into existing custom programmed e-commerce web site with chosen shopping cart

2. Integration Technology.  It is Alba Spectrum Order Connector, proven set of SQL Stored Procedures, opening Dynamics GP Sales Order Processing module documents: Invoice, Sales Order, Return, Quote for external application integration.  Integration is in quasi real time

3. eCommerce is working in Concert with Warehouse Management System and Supply Chain Management Extensions.  This Executive level presentation and Video was demonstrated on Convergence 2010 in Atlanta.  If you are mid-size or large eCommerce retailer or wholesaler, WMS, SCM, Logistics, Distribution and Make on Order Barcoding based solutions might be essential.  If eCommerce B2B or B2C customer places e-commerce originated order, immediately pays on checking out by the credit card, now your competitive advantage is to provide instant CC payment processing and sending order to you Warehouse floor for Fulfillment, items allocation, assembly on order (when required), picking and packing and finally shipping and receiving (where you simply send your ecommerce customer USPS, FedEX, UPS tracking number).  Our WMS module works directly out of Dynamics GP SOP, POP and Inventory Control documents and master records and it has Barcode scanner client software and WMS server application, talking to Dynamics GP SQL Server via ODBC connection

4. Going Crossing the international border.  If you are multinational corporation and you are expanding internationally with Dynamics GP (or you have to pick your Corporate ERP platform for the overseas facility) , Warehouse Management or eCommerce – there are several aspects of International Corporate ERP applications to be checked out.  The first one would probably be the Localization.  ERP localization includes translation to the foreign language and supporting targeted country Tax and Corporate Reporting legislation.  Currently with Microsoft Dynamics GP version 10.0 and 2010 (just released in May 2010) is localized in USA, Canada (including French Canadian version for Quebec/Montreal), Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Spanish  speaking Latin America, Oceania, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore.  Dynamics GP is also available in Arabic with reasonable level of localization for the Persian gulf countries and Saudi Arabia.  Dynamics GP has light translation to majority of languages (without tax compliance consideration) in Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Dutch, German

5. International alternatives to Dynamics GP as potential ecommerce platform.  Our opinion might be subjective, we recommend you to consider SAP Business One as budget international solution or Microsoft Dynamics AX (here you have luxury Corporate MRP options, such as Process Manufacturing, for example)

6. How to get additional help?  Call us 1-866-628-0577, 1-630-961-5918, help@albaspectrum.com  If you already missed us on Convergence 2010 in Atlanta, please consider stopping by on Convergence 2011 (preliminary scheduled in Atlanta Georgia World Center in April of 2011).  We have local offices in California, Illinois, Texas, Georgia.  Internationally we are available in Brazil, Russia, Chile, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Philippines.  We provide World Wide Dynamics GP support in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Filipino, Chinese

Technorati Tags: Driven, Dynamics, eCommerce, Microsoft, Solution, Wizard

Mostly, travelers go for a trip that their friends recommend, but is it what they really want?  It’s never too early to plan and know what your heart desires.

Hector Milla Editor of the “Best Hotel Deals” website — http://www.BestHotelDeals.biz — pointed out;

“…It’s nice to ask yourself these questions before starting to plan your vacation; do I want to relax? Do I want adventure or a learning experience? Do I want to get away from my job? Once you know the answers to these questions, then you are ready to plan your trip…”

Vacations are needed for our emotional, physical and mental balance. Vacations give a person a chance to relax, renew his energy, and free him from his daily routine. Vacations could be far away or close to home. Wherever the vacation may be, it does the same thing. It is the satisfaction that is more important than the destination.

Generally, there are some different types of travel according to activities involved. Here are some of them:

1. Responsible Travel. Traveling doesn’t always have to be self-serving. With responsible travel, one could have enjoyment as much as respecting the local environment and the people.
2. Rediscovering nature. Rediscovering travel is all about nature and everything in it. It revitalizes the soul while smelling and feeling nature.
3. Tribal cultures. In today’s world of high technology, it is wise to experience the simpler life of the tribal people who live close to nature in the same way for the past thousands of years.

4. Responsible Diving. Diving not only let travelers appreciate what is down the sea but also making the traveler more aware of the conservation effort.

The country one is planning to travel to also leaves a great mark on the traveler’s diary. Here are some of the most popular destinations today:

1. Thailand. Thailand is also known as Siam. It is an Asian country bounded by Burma, Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia.  Behind the back draft of Thailand’s jungles of bamboo, rubber trees and vines are the Five-star hotels of modern conveniences. In some parts of the country, elephants are still being use to lift timbers and buffalos are still being use in farming.

2. China. China is now the second largest country and fastest growing economy in the world. Most parts of China are still unexplored by tourist; however, the eastern portion is now popular to western tourist. First class hotels now offer highest class of amenities and dozens are still being built/

3. Italy. Italy is a boot-like shape country bounded by Switzerland, Austria, France, and Slovenia. The main attraction of Italy is St. Peter’s Square where the Pope resides.

4. Caribbean. Caribbean is an archipelago of islands, 2000 square miles across. Most of the islands are plateaus and eruptions of underlying mountain systems. It has nice beaches of crushed coral and white or pink sand and the water at the shore is a deep blue.

“…The success of any vacation will not depend by how much the traveler spent or its destination.  It is how the traveler enjoyed it and how he was able to achieve his primary goal of “getting away from it all.”…” added H. Milla.

Further information about the cheapest rates on hotels all around the world by visiting; http://www.BestHotelRates.me

Technorati Tags: Best, Choosing, Destination, Hotel, Rates, Travel

VR: Let us look at it from the perspective of our primary stakeholders – our customers. What are the challenges they are facing? Once we understand that clearly, we will be able to create symbiotic relationships.

For instance, one of the key customer challenges that we see is the need to balance immediate concerns with the long-term interests of the business. How can outsourcing help customers make this decision? In fact, is there a decision to be made in the first place, or can both objectives be achieved through outsourcing?

Secondly, we realize the importance of agility in the current scenario. Today, we have lesser time to scope the customer’s needs, discuss the deal, transition the process and begin operations. How can we reduce the cycle time?

Thirdly, several customers today are expressing interest in a pay-per-use model. How do we create multiple engagement models for customers?

So, we are seeing that challenges can be converted to opportunities as long as we have a solution-focus, rather than a problem-focus. In fact, we see the recession as a huge opportunity for outsourcing. With increased pressure on eliminating fixed expenses, customers are looking at third-party vendors like us. This pressure – of staying competitive and sustaining the business – might just result in outsourcing being resorted to by more organizations and gaining more acceptance globally.

SSON: Do you foresee more consolidation among providers (Indian and otherwise)?

VR: Yes. Consolidation is the current reality. Whichever form this consolidation takes, organizations will want to combine resources to address the current circumstances better. I see this trend continuing for the next 18 to 24 months.

SSON: Your organization is very India-centric in terms of the location of its delivery centres. Do you have plans to change this and if so where would be the logical next steps for you beyond the subcontinent?

VR: With Tech Mahindra’s strategic investment, one of our biggest strengths is now our global delivery presence. Put together, Tech Mahindra BPO and Mahindra Satyam BPO have 10 centers globally – eight in India and two in Europe (Belfast and UK). In terms of expanding our global presence, we will clearly not do it simply for the sake of doing so. As I mentioned, the key today is to be able to meet diverse customer needs successfully. If that means setting up additional centers closer to the customer’s business or expanding to locations that help us deliver better, we will certainly expand. It is all dependent on what the customer wants.

Also, we must not overlook the vast geographic spread of the parent company’s delivery and technology centers. Through them, we have presence in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Egypt, South Africa and others. If the need arises, they can also be looked at for BPO delivery.

SSON: As well as the domestic market we looked at a moment ago, where will Mahindra Satyam BPO be getting its clients from as the world economy moves into the recovery phase? Will traditionally profitable markets like the US and Western Europe still be the foundations of the Indian outsourcing industry or are you looking further afield?

VR: Yes, I think that traditional markets – US and Europe – will certainly continue to be important. However, we will need to strengthen our presence in the MEA and APAC regions. In fact, one of the biggest deals that Tech Mahindra has recently won has been from the Middle East – Etisalat DB Telecom. Such large deals show there is business here to be done. This will necessitate additional manpower and financial investments in these regions, as well as enhancing our knowledge about what challenges business leaders in these areas face. I am confident that as a combined entity, Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam will be one of the strongest players in the consulting, IT and BPO space globally.

SSON: What do you consider to be your organization’s USPs? Why should potential new customers sign with you rather than your competitors?

VR: Our biggest USP today is that we are keener than ever – to prove that we are still the organization to go to when you need a service provider who will go that extra mile for you. That is what outsourcers globally are looking for. Mahindra Satyam has always been known for its delivery excellence and quality focus. The strategic investment from the Mahindra Group has further enhanced our customer centricity and corporate governance.

Also, with Tech Mahindra, we have a much larger portfolio of offerings. The two organizations complement each other and there is hardly any overlap.

Customers globally have seen how Mahindra Satyam has delivered beyond SLAs even under tremendous stress. That is certainly a positive and reassuring message to customers. An interesting recent experience of mine was a meeting with the former Dean of Kellogg, Dipak Jain. He asked me how I had managed to lead the organization in such trying circumstances. He mentioned that the kind of experience I have gained over the last eight months cannot be had even at Kellogg or any other institute. That shows that our stakeholders are looking at Mahindra Satyam as a strong recovery story, and there is great respect for what we have pulled off.

SSON: Outsourcing is such a rapidly-changing business. Other than the global economic fluctuations of recent months what do you see as being the major drivers of change within the industry and how does its reactions to these factors determine the ways in which Mahindra Satyam BPO operates?

VR: Technology is constantly evolving. How businesses globally adopt these technologies and extend resultant benefits to customers vastly determines the extent and type of outsourcing. For instance, communication technologies are booming. Several new customers are being added on each day. Obviously, companies will outsource to meet this additional demand.

Companies are also expanding their global footprint. At the same time, there is greater focus on providing a consistent customer experience with the brand. I see outsourcing playing a major role in enabling this.

Governmental regulations certainly play a major role in determining the extent of the outsourcing industry’s success. But that is an issue that can be addressed by outsourcing organizations and BPOs combining to present a case that outsourcing only creates greater competitiveness…and greater competitiveness only strengthens the economy which, in turn, creates more jobs.

Service providers’ ability to manage more high-end work will only help in proving the case for outsourcing further. India has a vast pool of educated individuals who are extremely competent at high-end work such as analytics, research, engineering, virtual manufacturing and the likes. We only need to build more success stories around these high-end services and penetrate deeper into customer’s businesses.

At the end of the day, the challenge lies in not just coming up with innovative solutions, but also communicating them to customers. It is up to BPOs to prove that we are much more than just ‘call centers’. We are doing much more today, and customers deserve to know the high quality of our work.

SSON: How is Mahindra Satyam BPO tackling the issues raised by the rise of cloud computing? Do you offer cloud-based services?

VR: We are having discussions with our customers on these lines. Through the use of cloud computing, we will be able to: reduce costs; deliver per specific customer requirements; and aggregate all the knowledge that exists across levels in the customer organization. Opportunities significantly exist where infrastructure expenses could be reduced. There are some concerns from a data security perspective, but we are able to assure customers that we can deliver value to them.

SSON: Which industry sectors do you think will provide you with the greatest scope for expansion over the next few years?

VR: I see tremendous scope in telecom, manufacturing, pharma, healthcare (especially with the likely upcoming reforms in the US) and BFSI. In addition, we are looking at some very interesting possibilities in areas such as geospatial services (GIS).

SSON: Let’s close with a couple of personal questions. What do you consider to have been your greatest achievements in your professional career to date?

VR: If I look back at my career and think of the things that have helped me, the first thing that comes to mind is that I did not stick to one specific segment. I started off in the technology side of the business, moved to finance, then operations. At Morgan Stanley, I worked on Fraud and Risk Management. Finally, at GE Money, I was given the responsibility to lead their India Operations as COO – primarily due to the learning I had generated by working in different areas.

To put it in a nutshell, what worked for me was taking on lateral roles, challenging roles, risky roles. Don’t worry about the risks. More risks that you take, the more rewards you get.

SSON: What are your ambitions for Mahindra Satyam BPO over the next year or two?

VR: Firstly, at this stage, we have this tremendous sense of gratification from having the opportunity to be part of an organization that went through its share of troubles, but one on which we worked, as a group, to stabilize and sustain as an ongoing entity.

Going forward, I see the combined entity – Mahindra Satyam BPO along with Tech Mahindra BPO – as one having a strong presence across verticals. Tech Mahindra is already the No.1 player in the telecom space. Mahindra Satyam has several clients across verticals. This puts us in an enviable situation. We will certainly capitalize on this.

Additionally, we will continue to be a people-centric organization. C P Gurnani has often mentioned the need to create a happy workplace. That is such an important objective to have in a young organization like ours.

SSON:  What’s your definition of the perfect outsourcing relationship? And the perfect client?

VR: I see a good outsourcing relationship as one where: both – outsourcer and service provider – see long-term value from the relationship; both have an equally strategic view of the relationship (it is important that both parties realize the possibilities of the relationship and how it can transform both organizations); and there is consistent and proactive communication between both parties

Essentially, it’s not really too different from a good personal relationship – one that can mature over time, but still stay as exciting for both parties involved.

SSON: Finally, how would you like to be remembered when you retire?

VR: I’d like to be remembered as someone who loved to come to work and added value at the end of the day. Also, I’d be glad if I’m remembered as someone who was strategic, analytical and worked with teams across the company to deliver value to the company and its customers.

Afterword & about Vinjay Rangineni
With a resolute focus on end-customer delight, Vijay Rangineni, Mahindra Satyam BPO’s CEO rallies the entire organization towards the objective of undertaking wing-to-wing ownership of key customer relationships.
Leveraging more than 20 years of global operations and leadership experience in the service industry, Vijay helps Mahindra Satyam BPO create propositions that deliver lasting value to customers.

With an equally strong belief – in Associates as key drivers of customer value – Vijay devotes substantial time on the operation floors, engaging with and motivating Associates to stay focused on deliverables. A firm believer in the language of metrics, Vijay guides teams in the creation of frameworks to evaluate their
performance and undertake consistent process improvement initiatives.

Prior to Mahindra Satyam BPO, Vijay worked with Fortune 100 organizations like American Express, Morgan Stanley and GE, focusing on critical assignments and turnaround stories ranging from Delivery to Technology and
Business Process Reengineering.

At GE Money India, Vijay led multiple customer segments, including credit cards, home loans, private loans and auto loans. At Morgan Stanley, he set the pace by focusing on bringing down fraud rates and effecting operational
changes that would benefit the bottomline. He was also responsible for certain key processes like collection strategies that helped the organization save collection losses. At American Express, Vijay operated from Chicago, gaining experience in Operations, Finance, Marketing, Project Management and Technology. He was part of a pioneering team that propagated offshoring as a strategic imperative to improve quality.

Vijay is an alumnus of Kellogg School of Management and also holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from University of Texas. He has addressed many international industry forums and seminars on Operational Excellence.

_______________________________________________________________________

This article was first published on the Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON) – Read it here: http://www.ssonetwork.com/topic_detail.aspx?id=6018&ekfrm=6&utm_source=ssonetwork.com&utm_medium=SMO&utm_campaign=DIRECTORIES&mac=SSON_External_Listing_2067

About The Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON)

SSON is the largest and most established community of shared services and outsourcing professionals, with over 25,000 members.

SSON provides the roof under which key industry experts and organizations share their experience, knowledge and tools, and practitioner peers connect with other all over the world, both face to face and online.

SSON focuses on developing its members through providing training, tools, and networking opportunities. SSON staff works from international offices in New York, London, Singapore, Sydney, Berlin and Dubai to research current trends and developments in shared services.

More information visit the Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON) website. Stay up to date with SSON’s latest twitter posts at twitter.com/ssonetwork, connect with global practitioners, providers and advisors on the Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON) LinkedIn group and Sign up to receive SSON’s weekly updates today

Technorati Tags: Mahindra, Part, Rangineni, Satyam, Vijay

Rekindle Your Passion in Massage Wellness Franchise

Price are going up everywhere from electricity to gas and oil. Consumers are paying closer attention to spending amount. They are likely to budget-spending and second guessing un-necessary expenses. But, surprisingly the massage therapy industry has skyrocketed and rapidly growing to be profitable.

Massage therapy is achieving widespread recognition as a valuable means to enhance a health living lifestyle. Ministry of Tourism Malaysia is promoting the health spas and massage health tourism as the tourism attraction tools (The Star, Views N41;23 June 2009) .Apart from the sustainable herbal industry, the herb-based industry players like home spas and healthcare massage are developed as well. People are now aware the side effects caused by synthetic drugs, the rising cost of healthcare and the failure of mainstream medicine to treat certain diseases. Natural product remedies will be concerned to be solution to cure illness.

 Tim Bodycare Massage Training Centre, we provide the franchise polices that guaranteed you successfully establish healthcare massage business. Besides, initial entrepreneur packages are available. Model A provides training and services outlet while Model B exclusively supplies the outlets.

We offers a unique model that certified by Ministry of Domestic Trade and International Standard Massage Training ISO9001:2001. Aside from promoting our franchise scheme, we offer franchisor nationwide advertisements and promotions, on going training courses, on going events and exhibitions and corporate demo.

For more information, please contact to our sales and franchise executive Ms Syikin 019-3323038 or visit our website www.massage.com.my/malaysiakini/franchise

Technorati Tags: Franchise, Massage, Passion, Rekindle, Wellness

To a western eye, Ganesh looks very odd;  a nearly comical figure that has a male’s physique (and a bit of a paunch) an elephant’s head,  four arms (at least), just one tusk, and spends his time riding around on a tiny mouse. But Ganesh is absolutely not a clown and to see him as being a joke would be to misunderstand decades of belief and symbolism. He’s viewed with reverence in the Hindu faith, where the very same attributes, viewed in a different way, make him the embodiment of wisdom and learning, the patron of scientific discipline as well as the arts, the remover of obstacles, and hence summoned at the start of each and every venture as the god of success. It turned out as such that this individual wore her Ganesh charm, not really plastic but very old jade, a talisman meant to bring a favorable outcome to each of her undertakings. Like many other Hindu statues and talismans, a Ganesha statues represents specific aspirations of a productive life.

The Hindu religion is quite old and practiced over a broad area, so it isn’t really astonishing there are quite a few stories about the source of the Hindu gods. Generally in most Hindu traditions, Ganesh is the child of Shiva and his wife Parvati. Hindu’s acknowledge 4 major sects all of whom value Parvati and Shiva as significant, but for the Shakta, Parvati, whose name implies ‘she of the mountains’ is the Supreme Being and Shiva is her consort. Legend says it was Parvati who created Ganesh.

Parvati is said to value her seclusion, so one day when she wanted to wash and had no-one nearby to help keep watch for her, Parvati used turmeric paste to produce a boy. The goddess afforded him life and asked him to protect her privacy, and this is how Ganesh was created, with no real intervention from his ‘father’ Shiva.

When Shiva returned home he sought to go inside, yet Ganesh followed his Mother’s instructions and stopped him. There was a battle, and Shiva, who is Lord of Destruction, cut off the child’s head.

When she saw what had happened, Parvati’s rage knew no bounds. She demanded that Shiva fix the matter, so he directed his servants to bring back the head of the first living thing they found. The head belonged to an aged elephant they had discovered just as he was going to perish, so Ganesh was brought back to life and given the elephant’s head.

By association Ganesh is regarded as formidable, tender and loyal. Such a massive head can only be a signal of knowledge and cleverness, while the huge ears are employed to meticulously distinguish the good and the bad and to hear the requests of supplicants. Just like the elephant Ganesh is dangerous if provoked, but caring when shown kindness. Unlike most elephants, Ganesh has just one tusk.

There are numerous stories of the reason for the broken tusk; the most common is that Ganesh was handed the job of writing down the epic tale known as the Mahabharata. At some point his pen failed and rather then stopping, Ganesh detached his tusk and continued, showing he was prepared to make a sacrifice to obtain knowledge. Some other, less poetic testimonies state that the tusk was taken by a villain who stole it to create ivory earrings for lovely women.

It is not always instantly evident that a Ganesh statues has 4 (and sometimes more) arms. Some may be shown in abhaya pose that’s held up with palm out and fingers pointing upwards, while the second holds a sweet, a symbol of the inner self. The other two hands will most likely contain a goad and a noose, the former used to prod followers along the way of truth, as the latter signifies the snare of earthly desires. At his feet most statues of Ganesh show a mouse, his standard steed. The mouse is the symbolic representation of the intellect, roaming in and out, but tamed through the greater power of the whole.

Numerous devotees believe that the odd shape of the one tusked elephant headed God mirrors the symbol AUM, a symbol that symbolizes the primeval sound that was the very first thing to be created and from which the remainder of the universe came about. This is the symbol that is commonly used to symbolize all of Hinduism and its values.

Although the Hindu religion has four primary sects, all worship Ganesh, in whose image can be found across India, Nepal and many areas of the Far East. For Buddhists Ganesh appears as the god Vinayaka and is commonly displayed dancing. His statues appear in Nepal and Tibet. In Japan he is viewed as a minor god and young people call on him when searching for success in love. Throughout Malaysia, Java, Bali and Borneo you will find temples to Ganesh and in Thailand. There his position as remover of obstacles and patron of the arts mean that there is a ceremony where offerings are made to Ganesh prior to any movie or TV series starts shooting.

Indonesia is a Muslim country, however even there Ganesh is revered and his image can be found in many Cambodian temples. Yet despite spreading across the Eastern world Ganesh was not known in Europe until relatively recently, though some scholars, commenting on a sculpture of Ganesh where he’s shown with two heads (one of an elephant one of a man) facing in opposite directions have likened the image to that of Janus, the two headed God of the Romans, but no actual link between the two have been identified.

No matter what your own take on the gods from the east or of the ancients, their statues and associated symbolism will always be thought provoking. However we look at something, other civilizations often saw it very differently; one reason museum quality statues along with other artifacts make fascinating and artistic conversation pieces for any home.

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Technorati Tags: Ganesh, HINDU, Success, Wisdom

   In recent years we’ve seen a spate of books applying Sun Tzu’s rules of war to business strategy which includes most notably Mark McNeilly’s Sun Tzu and the Art of Business, David H. Li’s Art of Leadership by SunTzu and The Art of War for Executives by Donald G. Krause. And by all accounts they work very effectively. But this should be no surprise. By any measure, The Art of War can be applied and lead to victory in many conflicts, international relations, politics, business and in our personal struggle for survival in the socio-economic battles we daily face. But what about love? What about the sexual battleground?

   My father was a British professional soldier. He caught the tail end of the Second World War serving in the Burma campaign at Imphal and Kohema. He returned to South East Asia in 1948 for the Malayan Emergency, Britain’s victorious 12 year battle to defeat communist insurgency in what is now Malaysia. And it was there that my father came into contact with Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, an encounter that altered the course of his life. The final years of my father’s military career were spent in what he called the “backwater” of NATO, a military organism he learned to despise as an expensive tax free social club for well connected civilian and military elites. His experiences there led him to firmly believe that in a confrontation with the armies of the Warsaw Pact, NATO would have been swept aside like a flimsy cobweb.

   Throughout his career, my father made no secret of his belief that Sun Tzu should be on the curriculums of all military colleges and even schools and universities and that military promotion should be contingent on a high passing grade in knowledge of Sun Tzu. Unfortunately, As Sun Tzu was obligatory in the political and military organisms in the Soviet Union and of course China, it was considered part of the philosophy of the Warsaw Pact, and my father’s open advocacy of him cost him dearly in terms of promotion in my view.  When he retired with the rank of Colonel, he moved back to England and took up his love of fly fishing. But military history was his real passion. And he enjoyed re-visiting historic battles and applying Sun Tzu’s rules of engagement to the great battles of the past.

   Visiting dad was, for me, always a pleasure in itself. But it was especially enhanced by the many delightful and lovely ladies who shared his life. My mother died when I was young, a schoolboy, and my father never remarried. Yet he had an endless coterie of lovely girlfriends. I was always puzzled since my father, while a charming and intelligent man, was no film star. Nor was he, strictly speaking, a ladies man. But he was a very successful lover. And his greatest conquest was Tam.

   Tam was Eurasian, born in Saigon to a Vietnamese schoolteacher mother and a Danish diplomat father. A lawyer, Tam specialized in international law and worked in SHAPE, the headquarters of NATO’s Allied Command Operations in the Belgian town of Mons. She was employed in the civilian section of NATO and it was there that my father, working in military intelligence, met her. A woman of great beauty, very well educated and of independent means, she was also a linguist in fluent command of Danish, Vietnamese, French, German and English. When I first met her in Brussels she was working on Flemish (Dutch). At 35, she was closer to my age than my father’s and for a while I was jealous. I wondered how he was able to woo such a lovely, young woman, a speculation that was only answered after his death.

   After he passed away, as his only offspring, I took on the responsibility of winding up his estate. I had known since childhood that he kept daily journals, but only after his death did I come to know how copious a diarist he had been. Fascinated, I steeped myself in the volumes of neat handwritten records that filled his library shelves. And it became clear that, for my father The Art of War was more than just a military text. For him it was about an overall life strategy for overcoming obstacles, a tool to attain specific goals. Consequently he applied it to most aspects of his life. And this included matters of the heart. In his diaries my father wrote frankly on the methods used to win the ladies who attracted him. He was not always successful as sometimes the ladies were simply not interested, and not even Sun Tzu could overcome that. But in the cases where he had a glimmer of a chance, but where the conditions were difficult or unfavorable, the application of the Sun Tzu’s Rules won the day. This was especially true in the case of Tam.

   As they moved in very different circles and worked in different areas, he saw her rarely and then usually in dry, stuffy meetings in the company of others. She had a luxurious home in Brussels in the exclusive suburb of Uccle, while dad rented a simple Mons flat. But whenever he encountered her alone as he occasionally did, such as in the office cafeteria, she offered a ready smile and he made a point of joining her. Sensing he had a chance, he moved quickly. Above all else, he needed to know everything about her. And so he used spies.

   He hired an expensive, high quality and very discreet private detective agency and set them to task. And they were more than thorough. Apart from their normal surveillance they penetrated Tam’s citadel by replacing her cleaning lady for a single visit and that was enough. They handed my father everything he needed. He now knew her tastes in music, literature and art as well as her favorite foods and sports: she was an accomplished and keen sailor and sea kayaker. An accomplished pianist herself, she loved classical music and was a especially fond of Elgar as well as being a jazz buff and a Stan Getz fan. He knew where she shopped for clothes and even the brand name of her underwear. Divorced, she had been married once to a Danish business man and had a teenage son in school in Denmark. With photocopies of her diary in his hands, dad had her social intinery for several months ahead. He also now knew something about the men in her life: his adversaries and how formidable they were. She had many men friends and, it appeared, four serious suitors: an American Major–General in NATO, a senior French Diplomat with the French Embassy in Brussels, a successful Belgian artist, a painter of impressive quality, some of whose works hung in her apartment. The fourth was a rich Swiss socialite. My father’s next step was to know more about them, specifically about their foibles, weak points and vulnerable areas. He was well aware of his own particularly with reference to the ground where the contest would unfold. Sun Tzu said: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” My father would quote the Polish writer Witold Gombrowicz who said: “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act. Action will delineate and define you.” As Sun Tzu said: “All warfare is based on deception.” And so it was with father’s winning of Tam. He began laying plans.

   He steeped himself and became erudite in her interests. He developed a taste for jazz and the Big Bands of the ‘forties; he learned to appreciate Miles Davis and enjoy Stan Getz. He attended a sea kayaking symposium in England and took courses in the sport. And having knowledge of Tam’s social itinerary, he was able to surprise her and appear when he was not expected; such as at music concerts. Often he would bring another lady, but just as often he would appear alone It was at one such “surprise” encounter, a Mozart event, that he hit her for a date and she accepted for dinner and an evening of jazz in a Brussels club the following week. His foot was in the door. He was in her network. He had joined her club.

    My father was entirely objective and quite pitiless in the handling of his adversaries. The French Diplomat was a handsome, charming, smooth tongued roguish character. My father found him, very likable. He was also a roué with a secret vice: a penchant for occasional sex with low class underage hookers in a rough Brussels immigrant quarter whorehouse. A police raid found him with two of them one well under age. Faced with arrest he tried bribery: it failed forcing him to use diplomatic immunity. This worked, but resulted in publicity, embarrassment and his fast recall to Paris. And, of course, the news did not pass Tam by and he was out of her life.

   Shortly after the demise of the Frenchman, Tam celebrated her thirty sixth birthday. Dad gifted her a boxed set of CD’s, Stan Getz: The Bosa Nova Years – and a nice bound copy of Sun Tzu. She threw a party in the garden behind her home. According to my father it was an impressive event which included an excellent jazz trio, a great buffet prepared by Tam and superb wines. And, according to dad’s diary entry, it was there he began his campaign to dismantle and discredit the American General in Tam’s eyes. Dad engaged him on the American’s hobby horse – Vietnam. Influenced by drink the General became unpleasant and offensive to dad. Tam diplomatically suggested he apologize which he did, and he then left the party early. My father learned that despite his high tax free salary, the General had a gambling problem and considerable debts, in consequence of which he had engaged in serious black market dealings with a Belgian group based in Liege. A Financial Police raid on a warehouse revealed the General’s connection. To save face, not to mention his pension, and because of his profile, he was allowed to resign his NATO post ahead of his time and quietly moved back to America.

   It turned out the Belgian painter was no threat at all, dad discovered; he was never more than a good friend of Tam’s. My father met him, liked him and bought a small painting from him. But the Swiss playboy was another matter. Tam and he were old lovers and dad could see why. In his early forties, Hans had everything: a friendly outgoing personality and an infectious smile, good looks, a great athletic physique – and money to burn. He’d never worked or had employment of any kind. He played fine tennis and often coached Tam with her game. But his big passion was motor racing and he drove well and with panache, winning many races. He’d wanted to be a world class professional, but lacked the required discipline and commitment. And it was at a race meeting at Spa Franco-Champs that my father met him. Tam took my father to watch Hans race a Porsche in a sports car event. Unfortunately he crashed out of the race at the complex and infamous Eau Rouge corner while in contention for the lead and ended up in hospital with broken bones and concussion.

   My father had no wish to share his women and Tam was no exception. He liked Hans and wished him no ill but he needed to move him from all proximity to Tam’s bed. He was working on that when fate took a hand. Hans suddenly announced from Zurich that he was going to be married for the first time. The lady was a lovely young French fashion model of 21 years. He sent out invites to all his friends including Tam and my father. Tam declined. Instead, she sent him a card signed by her and dad.

   Tam remained with my father for many years. I last saw her after his death when she came over to England for his wake. No longer young, but still impressively beautiful, she had retired to live in Denmark. She invited me to visit, but I never took the offer up. She remains to this day one of the most beautiful women I have ever known.

   Did The Art of War work for me in romantic endeavor? Yes it did. Following my father’s lead, and being already well aware of its potency in overcoming conflict and achieving victory, using The Art of War as a tool in developing romantic relationships came natural to me. Using the 13 Rules of Engagement to win on the sexual battlefront was remarkably easy. I have also come to believe it has been used this way by many other people. And not just by men. I believe that the great diva, Pamela Harriman, probably the 20th century’s most prominent courtesan used Sun Tzu in her many conquests. I read an article on her and the writer mentioned seeing The Art of War on her book shelf. And reading of her exploits suggests she applied deception in her strategic and tactical drive to get the men she wanted. But if she did use him, like most people who utilize SunTzu, she kept it a secret and took it to her grave. There is no question that the Art of War provides us with powerful tools that can be applied to deal with conflict and difficulties in business or personal objectives. In sexual relationships, for men and women both, it excels no less.

Should the reader be curious and seek more knowledge, go to: www.theartoflove-theartofwar.com

Michael J. Villiers Manchester, England.

Technorati Tags: Endeavour/, Love, Romantic, Tzu's

A visa is fundamentally a document (affixed into the passport) issued to a foreigner by the Thai government allowing said foreigner to travel to the Kingdom and normally be granted permission to stay for a prescribed period. Visas can only be obtained outside of the Kingdom from a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate (usually). A visa has a validity period which denotes the period within which the visa may be used to apply for entry. The validity period is NOT the length of time you will be permitted to stay in the Kingdom using said visa. Exceptionally, when an applicant meets the requirements for an annual extension of stay, a change from tourist visa or visa-exempt status to a non-immigrant visa can be obtained from an immigration office preparatory to the extension of stay.

A ‘permission to stay’ stamp is entered into your passport upon arrival into the Kingdom. Whatever visa you hold, you will always receive this stamp. It will include the date of entry and date when you MUST leave the Kingdom or make alternative arrangements. The ‘length of stay’ will be dependent on what type of visa one holds. Once inside the Kingdom, this stamp is sacrosanct, your visa is now effectively irrelevant until you re-enter the country.

30 day entry stamp : for the majority of passport holders, this is a ‘permission to stay 30 days’ stamp only obtained (free of charge) at a port of entry into the Kingdom and is issued without the need for a visa. At the discretion of the immigration officer this may be extended for up to 7-15 days at an immigration office after which time the holder must leave the Kingdom. This is NOT a visa.

3 month validity, single entry tourist visa: pre-obtained at a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate and will result in the holder obtaining a 60 day ‘permission to stay’ stamp upon entry. If required, this type of visa may be extended by 30 days at an immigration office, but after that time the holder must leave the country. After one entry, the visa is “used”.

6 month validity, 2 to 4 entry tourist visa: pre-obtained at a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate and will result in the holder obtaining a 60 day ‘permission to stay’ stamp upon entry if from a 30 day visa exempt entry country (listed below) or 30 days if not. If required, this type of visa may normally be extended by 30 days at an immigration office, but after that time the holder must leave the country. The holder may then return to the Kingdom and will obtain a second 60 day ‘permission to stay’ stamp which can also be extended as previous and then the holder must leave. After the stipulated number of entries the visa is “used”.

3 month validity, single entry non-immigrant visa: pre-obtained at a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate and will result in the holder obtaining a 90 day ‘permission to stay’ stamp. This visa can be extended up to one year for specific reasons and with the required documentation (see 12 month extensions).

12 month validity, multi entry non-immigrant visa: pre-obtained at a Royal Thai Embassy/Consulate (usually) in your home country and will result in the holder obtaining a 90 day ‘permission to stay’ stamp upon entry. Each time the holder enters the Kingdom whilst the visa is valid, he/she will obtain a further 90 day ‘permission to stay stamp’. Such visas can be issued for students/work/family etc. but normally require supporting documentation. This visa can also be extended up to one year for specific reasons and with the required documentation (see 12 month extensions).

Note: a 12 month validity, multi entry non-immigrant visa may also be obtained from some Royal Thai embassies outside your home country if you can provide evidence of your marriage to a Thai citizen (marriage certificate).

12 month extension to a non-immigrant visa: If you are holding a non-immigrant visa, you have the option of extending this by 12 months based on either retirement (50 years old or over) or support to a Thai citizen, work, education and such. This may only be accomplished at an immigration office inside the Kingdom and certain criteria have to be met. Such extensions consist of a stamp in your passport detailing “issue date” and “permitted to stay until” date.

Note 1: If you are residing in the Kingdom under an extension to a non-immigrant visa and wish to leave the Kingdom at any time, then you will need to obtain a “re-entry permit” to avoid losing the extension and the subsequent need to re-apply (i.e. applying for a new non-immigrant visa and then extension of stay).

Note 2: If you are residing in the Kingdom under an extension to a non-immigrant visa it is a legal requirement that the holder reports current address to an immigration office using form TM.47 (in person or by registered mail) every 90 days. Re-entering the Kingdom is the equivalent of a 90 day report.

Note 3: If you are in possession of a valid tourist visa or a 30 day visa exempt entry stamp and qualify for extension of stay and plan on doing so, you may be permitted to change to a non-immigrant visa at an immigration office inside Thailand. This change of ‘status’ has certain restrictions depending on your particular circumstances therefore you should check with an immigration officer first.

The information given above is for guideline purposes only. Each individual’s circumstances may differ to such an extent that a definitive description of the procedures involved is virtually impossible to present. And, the final decision on visa application/issue or entry into the Kingdom will always be at the discretion of the immigration officer.

List of visa exempt countries

Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brunei, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, United Kingdom.

Technorati Tags: options, Thai, Visas

Kuala Lumpur is a wonderful city with much to see and do. If you are not a native of Kuala Lumpur, it can be hard to decide what to see and do. This is a short synopsis of the 10 things I think you must see in Kuala Lumpur. This is meant as a guide to those of us who are not familiar with this great city.

1. Petronas Twin Towers

The Petronas Twin Towers dominate the sky scape in Kuala Lumpur. They are magnificent pieces of architecture which tower over the rest of Kuala Lumpur and are currently the second tallest buildings in the world, and the tallest twin towers in the world. They were built in 1998 and have 88 floors and reach 452 meters into the sky. The towers were planned in the form of an 8 sided star which in Islam symbolises fullness and regeneration.

There is a viewing deck on the twin towers, the sky bridge which joins the 21st floors of both towers, 150 meters above ground. If you are planning to do this, be sure to get your tickets early to avoid long waits of disappointment.

2. China Town

China Town in Kuala Lumpur is a special place with a fantastic atmosphere and market. The market is held on a street, but is now cleverly covered to prevent rain from disturbing the market.

In China Town you can get everything from quality hand crafted produce to fake clothes. Every major fashion house is represented in China Town by fake produce. If you are planning to buy something here on your visit, and you will, be prepared to haggle if your life depended on it. The people here are good natured, but they will try to sell you anything they can as if their life depended on it.

3. Suria Shopping Center

The Suria Shopping Center at the foot of the Petronas twin towers is a shopping center aimed at the more affluent among us. Here you can buy designer fashion goods from all of the top designers. The Suria Shopping Center is not cheap and is mainly aimed at Arabs who visit Kuala Lumpur during August to escape the heat of their own countries.

The Shopping Center is linked by the LRT (Light Rail Transport) which can take you directly to Sentral Station. Even if you don’t plan on buying anything here, don’t miss this spectacle.

4. Merdeka Square

Merdeka Square, known as Independence Square was formerly the Selangor Club field on which cricket was played by expatriates, usually from Britain. The Club is now open to anybody who can afford membership. The square is called Independence Square because on 31 August 1957 the Malaysian flag was raised here for the first time. Today, the Malaysian flag flies from the tallest flag pole in the world, 100 meters.

Merdeka Square is a place of beauty, with the immaculately kept Square alongside the Selangor Club which is built in true British Tudor style and the beautiful Abdul Samad Building which dates to 1897 and now serves as a Government Building

5. Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang is the main street of Kuala Lumpur. This is a street that never sleeps and always enjoys a fast pace of life. This is a great place to find a café to relax your shopping weary body, before you head back in for more shopping.

Bukit Bintang is home to many shopping centers, hotels and restaurants. Amzingly Bukit Bintang is home to 30,000 shops, many of which are in the shopping centers that have entrances from the Bukit Bintang.

6. Lake Gardens (Taman Tasik Perdana)

The Lake Gardens in Kuala Lumpur is a green belt that covers over 90 hectares of land. Originally built around an artificial lake, the gardens are now a major center piece in Kuala Lumpur and offer many types of gardens including an Orchid Garden, a Hibiscus Garden, The Butterfly Park, a Bird Park and much more.

7. Batu Caves

The Batu Caves are located on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur as you head east towards Kuantan or the Genting Highlands. You can see the entrance to the caves from the road which is in the form of an impressive set of steps leading upwards to the mouth of the cave.

The caves are a sacred place for the Hindu population in Malaysia and consist of three main caves and a number of smaller caves. The caves are an impressive sight at 400 meters long and 100 meters high. Be prepared to meet plenty of monkeys here as they vie for your attention in the hope of getting some nuts.

8. Telecommunications Tower

The Telecommunications Tower in Kuala Lumpur is very reminiscent of the famous Toronto and Seattle radio towers. The tower is the 4th tallest radio tower in the world after the CN Tower (Toronto), Ostankino Tower (Moscow) and Oriental Pearl Tower (Shanghai).

Standing 421 meters high and if you are in good physical condition over 2,000 steps await. For the rest of us there is always the lift. There is an observation platform at the top of the tower which many say is better than that on the Twin Towers for a number of reasons, you can see the Twin Towers in your view and you get panoramic views over the city. There is also a revolving restaurant here.

9. Central Market

Central Market in Kuala Lumpur, built in 1928, is set in a stunning building. The market is easily accessed by public transport. Here you will find all sorts of arts and crafts alongside souvenir shops selling models of the Twin Towers and Kuala Lumpur T-shirts.

Central Market is not just about arts and crafts, but more about a central location for a wider cultural offering. Here you can see cultural performances and sample some of the fantastic cuisine.

10. Mega mall

The Mega Mall is a massive shopping complex and if you are looking for a reasonable place to shop in comfort, this is it. There are hundreds of shops and restaurants here and it is an easy place to get lost in for a day. The shopping center is a short taxi ride from KLCC or a train ride from Sentral Station.

Car Rental

Technorati Tags: Kuala, Lumpur, Things